For my analysis of the movie The Invention of Lying as it pertains to our class, I have selected two parts from the IPC book, where I can apply some of what I have learned so far. The first part is the Ethical Systems of Interpersonal Communication table from Chapter 1 and the Stages of the Interpersonal Perception Process from Chapter 2, The Ethical system of interpersonal communication contains five parts. Those parts are categorical imperative, utilitarianism, golden mean, ethic of care, and significant choice. Categorical imperative is an ethical system that suggests that we should act as an example to others. This is demonstrated throughout the movie as the entire population (except Mark when he begins to lie), tells the truth no matter how it might affect the other person. A specific example is when Anna is talking to her mother on the date, and explaining that Mark is unattractive and undesirable, even though he is sitting right across from her. Utilitarianism is the ethical system suggesting that what is ethical will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. An example of this would be when Mark tells the lie that he can speak directly to God, and he is confronted with a worldwide audience. He then decides to make up his own version of the Commandments, because he believes that these will help society at large in the best possible way. Golden mean is the ethical system where a person’s moral virtue stands between two vices, with the middle being the foundation for a rational society. This is displayed when Mark uses his lies to get closer to Anna throughout the movie by manipulating other people to get money and fame. The other side of it is when he tells his dying grandmother how wonderful heaven is, so she will be able to die peacefully. Mark also has various other situations like this that keeps him centered and good. The ethic of care is the system that is concerned with the...

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...Invention of Lying
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.” There has been a lot of talk about heaven over the years. Many people who have claimed that they know what heaven is like or what we experience when we die. While this can be comforting to some, it raises questions of how they could know given the fact that one would have to either be a prophet of God or someone who has actually been there. In the Universal Pictures movie, The Invention of Lying, Mark Bellison is a man who claims to know what happens when we die. He fabricates these images for the comfort of his dying mother. His satirical dialogue on the topic jokingly mocks the parallels from the bible as well as ideas that mainstream religious “prophets” claim to know. That being said, how do we really know what to believe? Are there prophets sent by God who know? Are there people who have been to heaven? Newsweek Magazine and a book titled, “90 Minutes in Heaven” suggest yes.
Mark’s character in this movie is a nerdy single guy just trying to make it in the world. When he is down on his luck, he experiences a “switch” in his conscience that allows him to be able to lie. Prior to his shift where he begins to use it more for his own personal gain, we see him using this for others like the lonely people in his mother’s nursing home and...

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ResponsePaper
Jostin Holmes
PHIL 201
February 2015
In 1968, a article was published by a man named H.J. McCloskey called “On Being an Atheist”, in which an attempt to present arguments against the existence of God is made. In his work, McCloskey attempts to provide readers with the argument that atheism is more “reasonable and comfortable (McCloskey,1968)” compared to the alternative theistic view. In his article, McCloskey attempts to make arguments against the three typical theistic proofs of God which includes the cosmological and teleological arguments, along with the argument from design. McCloskey uses the existence of evil and the irrationalness off faith against the theistic view of God. At the beginning of the article it seems that an intriguing argument will be made regarding the theistic view point of God, yet as McCloskey continues the argument becomes more biased in attacking spiritual beliefs which questions his validity.
In regards to how McCloskey presents his argument, the word “proof” is uniquely placed in an attempt to guide the reader through biased language. The argument that atheism is more reasonable and comfortable than theism is strictly opinionated. Many may view this stand in an opposite light using theistic theories to establish points. McCloskey does not present his arguments as theories, yet as fact; though there is no proof provided. Theistic theories accept that the argument cannot be...

...JOHN SMITH
PHIL 181: Ethics - Section 6
October 31, 2011
Nietzsche ResponsePaper
In Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, we learn that every one of our actions is influenced by a higher interest or objective, ultimately seeking personal fulfillment. Everything we do has a determined purpose that directs our life into a desired path. Aristotle portrays our actions as ends, and he believes that each end leads to a higher end until reaching a final end, eudaimonia. He believes that the only way to fulfill our life and attain complete happiness in life is to reach eudaimonia. Eudaimonia can only be reached once we have accomplished our personal goals, and practiced enough virtuous acts to develop excellence in character. Aristotle believes that developing virtue is the most important element for a fulfilling life. To be virtuous, we must have knowledge of what we are doing; we must know why it is important to do it; our actions must spring from a characteristic from our soul; and we must practice it with other people.
In Book VIII of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle talks about the importance of friendship. Aristotle believes that friendship is a kind of virtue that is necessary for a good life. He believes that we cannot attain true happiness without knowing the value of friendship, no matter how successful we may be. Therefore, Aristotle claims that we must reach eudaimonia by fulfilling our personal ends, and at the same time taking the...

...Lying
For the most part the act of lying is viewed badly and is frowned upon in society .There are very limited exceptions but for the most part it is viewed as a wrong doing and will most likely for as long as mankind exists . A majority of the world’s population, no matter culture, race, gender, believes that the truth is what should be told and that if a lie is told there should be some sort of consequence to discourage the act of lying in the future. Like stated earlier there are some people that believe if the situation permits a lie may be told. Some of these same people believe that it is not necessarily okay to tell a lie, but the right thing to do. There are many different views on lying and other ethical topics. A couple examples of these views are the ones of Immanuel Kant and the utilitarian’s.
The first of these views is that of the utilitarian. A utilitarian typically has the view that any action is justified and correct if the action benefits the overall good of others in the situation. Therefore, they do believe there are times when lying is right. If lying helps the overall in a good way than that it justified. For example, if a person asks for your opinion about something that they are very strong opinioned on, you may tell them something that is not necessarily the truth but you do it so that you do not hurt their feelings. Another example is if somebody asks if...

...﻿Response #1
Leslie Surber
Question #1: How does contemporary American Indian Art help reclaim and also define American Indian Culture?
I think one of the ways art is reclaimed is when the Indian artist incorporates natural materials that represent parts of his culture and rituals that are precious to them. Some artists even incorporate themselves into the art installation, as James Luna did. He did a piece called “The Artifact Piece”, where he is lying in the middle of the installation, with comments incased within the display of himself. He does this to show how the world and the museums see Native Americans as objects that should be frozen in the past and treated as artifacts instead of the living members of present society and contemporary cultures they are. I think it’s a wonderful example of reclaiming his culture and defining it in an artistic way, that provokes the exhibitor to actually see that Natives aren’t artifacts, but living, breathing human beings who are a vital part of our nation.
He also makes statements for his people that help define American Indian Culture. In the beginning his art work was geared toward the Native American people (which made them uncomfortable) by addressing certain issues, like identity. James Luna has a Master’s Degree in counseling and believes “the first step to recovery is speaking directly to issues”. “In Indian Country Today“, he is quoted as saying, “As native people we need to see...

...change occurs it effects everyone and many become nervous not knowing what may come from the change. However many times change brings great things it is just getting to that point for everyone to really understand.
When talking about the changes for the roles of nurses in the hospital setting the three nurses I interviewed explained that as far as patient safety goes in the hospital they do not see that this reform is going to make any difference in the hospital. However they believe that the timeliness and the efficacy could improve with this health care system. Where a large portion of medical care for patients occurs in a hospital setting some portions of the reform will help patients whereas other portions may have no effect. Many responses I got from my colleagues were based on the knowledge they had about the reform. Many were not educated enough about the details involved and basically stated that over time we would have to wait and see what the changes bring.
References
Buerhaus, P. (2009). Avoiding mandatory nurse staffing ratios: An economic commentary.
Nursing Outlook, 57(2), 107–112.
Buerhaus, P. I., DesRoches, C., & Applebaum, S. (2012, November-December). Are Nurses
Ready for Health Care Reform? A Decade of Survey Research. NURSING
ECONOMIC, 30(6), 318-329.
Blendon, R. J., Brodie, M., Benson, J. M., Altman, D. E., & Buhr, T. (2006). Americans’ Views
of Health Care Costs, Access, and Quality. The Milbank Quarterly, 84(4),...

...﻿Zhandaulet Saduakas
10.9.2014
ENG 101
Professor Benjamini
Computers Change the Way We Live
Computers have been our best friend for rather a long time. Nowadays we seek technology, and we cannot live without it. Our consciousness tries to pull us into it deeper and deeper. The real problem is not that we are not able to escape, but we do not want to escape. The virtual life has made us a very comfortable place to work, play or communicate. We believe that the technology life is real when it is not. Computers are not bad, and they are not going to give us any harm if we will use it in a right direction. The realization of that, unfortunately, has not come to us yet. Technology used in a wrong way is bringing us to fear of sharing feelings in a real life and not having the knowledge of computers. In this essay, I would like to support Sherry Turkle’s views on today’s impact. She is a professor at MIT who has some very interesting ideas and thoughts.
The author of The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Psychoanalytic Politics: Jacques Lacan and Freud’s French Revolution, and Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet, Sherry Turkle shows us the clear picture of what is really going on. Her approach on this subject is extraordinary and it makes you wonder how the future generation will get along with their lives. When I was reading Turkle’s essay piece, I noticed that she had six sub points. “Avatars or a Self?” and “Taking Things at Interface Value”...

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Have the same desires.
9- Gervais comments that he sees religion as being one of the god lies, that it probably started as a few white lies to comfort even oneself. What value is there in a lie of such magnitude that it leads people ultimately to false hope? Is that a hope worth having? Why or why not?
Because it is a hope that is worth to have because, everyone have to believe in
Something.
10- To what extent did lying enable Mark to live life the way he wanted it? In you view, does lying make our daily interactions better, compared to the exchanges of the film? What Problems whit lying is highlighted?
Lying for Mark make him successful in life because of that he had the job back, he
Got a mansion, and the woman that he wanted loved him. Lying doesn’t make
Things better, for example in the movie sometimes Mark didn’t want to lie to Anna.
11- Why does Mark find it so difficult to lie to Anna, even thought it would have convinced her to marry him? Could we say Anna loved Mark if he had done so?
Lying to Anna was difficult to Mark because he loved her, but if he would didn’t lie
to her Anna will not be interested in him because in their first date that was before
Mark had the ability to lie she didn’t like him because of his appearance and his
social status.
12- What kind of Truth-telling does the film show, 1- In Blunt exchanges...